NCIC releases list of coded messages that can incite hatred

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has expressed fears over the hate speech and incitement to violence flooding the social media platforms.

NCIC chairman Samuel Kobia on Friday, told the press that the Commission has flagged out 12 cases, under cyber forensic investigations since March 2022.

“Indeed this is a rise compared to previous months. We have noted regroupings and new political forums in the social media platforms,” he said.

Kobia said 39 cases of hate speech on social forums are being monitored closely.

“There are 49 cases under different stages of active investigation, 10 cases are before court reports at Communication Authority of Kenya and seven are pending conciliation,” he said.

Kobia said the increase in hatred, hate speech and incitement to violence is as a result of the ongoing party nominations and the upcoming general elections.

“The main perpetrators of these are ardent followers of 2022 succession politics, largely Azimio and UDA followers,” he said.

The spike in the vices comes with just 124 days to the  August 9 polls.

This month, Kobia said NCIC flagged out seven incitement cases which it is working on.

He said the commission is worried about the number of cases in social media.

In the first week of March 2022, 60 per cent hate speech cases were found on Facebook compared to 40 per cent on twitter.

Week two recorded 79 per cent on Facebook compared to 21 per cent on twitter while week three had 95.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively.

In week four, there was 80 per cent hate speech on Facebook and 20 per cent in twitter.

Kobia said unrest in the country has also been stirred by Raila Odinga chopper stoning and the shooting of the Mvita UDA aspirant Ali Mwatsau.

NCIC is also worried about the number of Facebook groups supporting various candidates and spewing tribal hate and incitement.

Some of the groups include Group Kenya , Azimio La Umoja Bungoma County Forum, Uasin Gishu County Forum, Baba the 5th!, Inawezekana, Azimio la Umoja, Group Kericho County.

Others are Raila Odinga For President, The Marsabit County We Want, The Marsabit County We All Want, Members Voices of Change, The New Mamaans Borana, The Kalenjin Forum, Migori Revolutionist Council  and Lamu County Politics.

Kobia said the inflammatory attacks, ethnic contempt, hate speech, political intolerance as well a zoning of regions have become the order of the day in the recent past.

“We call on Kenyans to ensure that they embrace issue-based politics over tribal or any other form of divisive narratives,” he said.

Kobia said his commission is concerned with the upward trajectory of political intolerance among dominant political parties.

“This is uncalled for! We condemn such actions of hooliganism, stone throwing, incitements and bitter exchanges which might throw us baack to the dark days,” he said.

Kobia said protesting is a democratic right for every Kenyan but it must be done within the confines of the Law.

“I urge the political leaders to reign on their rogue members,” he said.

Kobia said NCIC is gravely concerned that some boda boda groups are morphing into criminal gangs.

He said the relevant bodies should arrest the situation before it gets out of hand.

Kobia said NCIC in partnership with the NYS, will train boda boda riders on cohesion, national ethos and values.

NCIC has at the same time identified terms and heavily coded messages that can be used to incite hatred and deliberately exclude other communities.

Kobia said coded messages are in languages such as English, Kiswahili, Sheng’ Kikuyu, Meru, and Kalenjin languages.

NCIC said the words can also be monitored on social media and physical spaces like social gatherings and media outlets..

Some of the words flagged out by the commission include fumigation, uncircumcised, eliminate and kill.

In Swahili, the commission identified words such as kaffir (disbeliever), madoadoa (dots), chunga kura (secure votes) and mende (cockroach).

Kobia said the term kaffir is a negative referent majorly referring to the non-Muslim communities while Madoadoa was being used to refer to non-natives.

“If people, not mandated to be observers, political party agents or any other functionaries, remain in the polling stations during the poll day, it may portend a recipe for violence,” he said.

Other terms that the commission has flagged include watu wa kurusha mawe (people who throw stones) saying it refers to a community that is perceived to resolve their disputes by attacking others using stones.

Watajua hawajui (They will know that they do not know), wabara waende kwao (people from off the coast should go back to their homes), hatupangwingwi (No one can plan for us), kama noma, noma kama mbaya, mbaya (if it is bad, then it is bad).

Kikuyu word kihii (uncircumcised) has also been baned, with Kobia saying it is demeaning and aims to humiliate and terrorise not just men, but their entire communities.

Kobia said uthamaki ni witu (the kingdom is ours) has also been used to refer to the notion that the Kikuyu should remain as the ruling class.

“It is used in reference to national leadership which is said to belong to the Kikuyu community and not any other community,” he said.

He said given the dynamic nature of communication and the possibility for perpetrators to shun words that have been listed publicly, the list will be updated regularly and shared with Kenyans.

In Kalenjin, words like Kimurkelde (brown teeth) have been termed by the commission as inciting.

Otutu labotonik (uproot the weed) and Ngetiik (uncircumcised) has also been flagged.

(Edited by Tabnacha O)